Trolley lock



Nov. 6 1923. 1,473,567

W. M. LAUER TROLLEY LOCK Filed May l5, 1925 VII/1111.1..

1N VENT'OR 4 MLL IAMMZAULT [WMU A TTORNE YS Patented Nov. 6, 1923.

WILLIAM M. LUER, OF GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK..

TROLLEY Loox. A

Application mea May 15, 1923. serial No. 639,167.y

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. LADER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Glens Falls, in the county of Warren and State of NewV York, have invented a new and Improved Trolley Lock, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a trolley lock, and has for an object the provision of means whereby the trolley wire may be retained in proper relation to the trolley wheel at all times except when the conductor of the trolley car otherwise desires.

Another object concerns the provision of means whereby a proper relation between the wire and the wheel is maintained at all times regardless of the position of the trolley pole so that the device for locking or latching the wire to the wheel will not cause the wire to be unduly clamped or pinched.

A further object concerns the provision of means whereby the locking or latching aetion can be instantly released by the conductor merely upon pulling a rope, which is at the same time used for lowering the trolley pole.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, of whichy Figure l is a side elevation of the device mounted on the roof of a trolley car, showing in dotted line an alternate position of the parts;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the latching or looking mechanism, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Thel form of the invention shown in the drawings is a preferred form, although it is understood that modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention. Y

The preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings includes the usual has been proven many times by experience,

is very liable to get out of the grooved and y to thereby permit the trolley pole and wheel to be pulled vertically, so that as Vthe car progresses with the pole in this position the stay and guy wires supporting the trolley wire are vdrawn and brokenand considerable danger is liable to ensue from the dropping of a live wire on the ground. The trolley wheel 5 is mounted on a. stubV shaft such as 8 extending through the wheel and mounted between side plates 9 and l() formed on the end of the trolley pole, these side plates forming a yoke between which the wheel rotates. v

In order that the trolley wire may more effectively be held in proper relation to the groove 6 in the wheel 5, I provide a latch or lock member such as 11 inthe formof a roller adapted to project over the groove.

l This roller is mounted on a stub shaft 12 tical shaft y13 bears in a pivot plate or frameV 14 and is preferably introduced along'V a vertical edge thereof. This plate or frame Y la is preferably loosely mounted son the stub shaft 8 on which the wheel 5 is mounted and is held in Aposition on said shaft by means of a lwing nut 15. The lower end of the shaft 13f is engaged by a spring 16 Y which tends normally to'holdv it in such position that the lock 11 projects over the groove 6. The lower end'of the shaft 13 is provided with an extending linger 17'to which one end of a rope 18 may be attached. This rope is adapted to pass over the pulley 19 and thence downward to within the reach of the hands of the conductor. ByV

pulling the rope 18 the linger or extension 17 is rotated through a suflicient angle to rotate the lock or projecting roller'to the dotted position shown in Fig. 1 and remove it from projecting over the grooveso that the wheel can be disengaged from the trolley wire. lIrl-other words, when the trolley wire is'ordinarily latched to the wheel in the manner above described it is only necessary to pull on therope 18 to rst remove the latch or projecting member and then a continued movement will result in the lowering of the pole l, as indicated by the dot-and-dash vposition shown in j Fig. 1. However, in lowering the trolleyv poleJ it must be observed that if the latch member 1l did not maintain a denite position withL DOV respect to the trolley wire, the rotation of the pole and the wheel and the continued disposition of they latch member acrossthe groove would cause the wire to be bent or clamped unduly. To prevent this action, provide an extension or wing portion on the trame lil, this wing portion being designated by the numeral 20; and this wing portion is connected by a rigid link 2l to a fixed point on the roof of the car, such as a bracket'QQ` To another part ot the frame la I attach a spring 23 which, at the other end, is attached to the trolley pole. It will, therefore, be observed that whenever the trolley pole is lowered or tends to jump away from the wire, this action not being caused by a pull on the rope 1S, the trame H will, nevertheless, retain a fixed angular position with respect to the wire so that a substantially horizontal path will be provided for the wire through the groove 6 and beneath the latch member ll.. rl"he length of the link 2l with regard to the length of the trolley7 pole and the path of rotation thereof is designed to maintain the Atraine ll in this one position regardless of the angulaiposition of the trolley pole. T he spring 23, ot course, tends to keep the plate in the proper position and opposing the action or' the link 2l, whereby a balance is maintained.

It will, therefore, be observed that l have provided a simple plate or frame which can be attached to the side of any trolley wheel, which trame' is provided with a latch meniber adapted to project over the groove of the pole to latch the wire therein, and so constructed that a mere pull on the rope will not only lower the pole but release the latch. Furthermore, this frame is so connected by linkage with a iixed point on the car that rotation of the pole will, nevertheless, cause the maintenance of the latch member in the proper position at all times to eliminate the possibility of the latch member clamping or gripping the wire unduly.

llha-t I claim is l. In combination with a trolley wheel mounted on a trolley pole, said wheel adapted to receive a trolley wire in its groove, of a frame member loosely mounted on the pole adjacent the wheel, a shaft on said frame nember, a lock member connected to said shaft and extending normally across the groove to hold the trolley wire in the groove, a spring connected to said pole at one end and to the frame at the other, and a link ronnecting another portion ot said 'frame to a fixed point such as the roof of a trolley car, said link and spring being designed to maintain the trame in the same relative position with respect to the wheel regardless ot the position or the trolley pole.

ln combination with a trolley wheel and pole, said wheel having a groove adapted to receive a trolley wire therein, of a frame loosely mounted on the pole adjacent the wheel, a lok member extending across the groove to hold the wire therein, a shaft on said traine on which said lock member is mounted, said shaft having a normally vertical position on said traine. a spring en gagging said shaft and tending to hold the lock member in its normal position across the groove, a laterally extendingv arm on the lower end ot said shaft, a rope or cable connected at one end to said arm, and a pulley on said trame through which said rope passes, the initial movement of said rope ,vlien pulled by the conductor iirst moving ihe lock member away iiroin the slot wherebv the wire can be disengaged Jfrom the wheel, iui'ther movement of said cable causing` the removal ot the wheel from the wire.

ln toinbination with a trolley wheel and pole, said wheel having a groove adapted to receive a trolley wire therein, of a Jframe loosely mounted on the pole adjacent the wheel, a lock member extending across the groove to hold the wire therein, a shaft on said frame on which saidlock member is mounted, said shaft having a normally vertical position on said frame, a spring engaging said shaft and tending to hold the lock member in its normal position across the groove, a laterally extending arm on the lower end 'oit' said shaft, a rope or cable con" nected at one end to said arm, and a pulley on said frame through which said rope passes, the initial movement of said rope when pulley by the conductor first moving the lock member away from the groove whereby the wire can be disengaged from the wheel, further movement ot said cable causing the removal of the wheel from the wire, a spring connected between said frame and the trolley pole, and a rigid link connecting said frame t0 the roof of the trolley car, the spring and link designed to maintain the vertical disposition of the lock member shaft and the trame regardless of the position of the trolley pole.

VVLLAM M. LAUER.

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